Unexpected Levels of Biological Activity during the Polar Night Offer New Perspectives on a Warming Arctic

• Published in: Current Biology
• Main Authors: BERGE, Jørgen, DAASE, Malin, RENAUD, Paul e., AMBROSE JR., William g., DARNIS, Gerald, LAST, Kim s., LEU, Eva, COHEN, Jonathan h., JOHNSEN, Geir, MOLINE, Mark a., COTTIER, Finlo, VARPE, Øystein, SHUNATOVA, Natalia, BAŁAZY, Piotr, MORATA, Nathalie, MASSABUAU, Jean-Charles, FALK-PETERSEN, Stig, KOSOBOKOVA, Ksenia, HOPPE, Clara j. M., WĘSŁAWSKI, Jan marcin, KUKLIŃSKI, Piotr, LEGEŻYŃSKA, Joanna, NIKISHINA, Daria, CUSA, Marine, KĘDRA, Monika, WŁODARSKA-KOWALCZUK, Maria, VOGEDES, Daniel, CAMUS, Lionel, TRAN, Damien, MICHAUD, Emma, GABRIELSEN, Tove m., GRANOVITCH, Andrei, GONCHAR, Anya, KRAPP, Rupert, CALLESEN, Trine a.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2015
• Subjects: ACL; SEA-ICE COVER; CALANUS-FINMARCHICUS; VERTICAL MIGRATION; BEAUFORT SEA; WAX ESTERS; FOOD WEBS; FJORD; BIOLUMINESCENCE; KONGSFJORDEN; ZOOPLANKTON; Sciences de l'environnement/Biodiversité et Ecologie; Arctic; Arctique*; Beaufort Sea; Calanus finmarchicus; Kongsfjord*; Kongsfjorden; polar night; Sea ice; Zooplankton
• Online Access: https://oskar-bordeaux.fr/handle/20.500.12278/199636; https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12278/199636; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2015.08.024

Summary The current understanding of Arctic ecosystems is deeply rooted in the classical view of a bottom-up controlled system with strong physical forcing and seasonality in primary-production regimes. Consequently, the Arctic polar night is commonly disregarded as a time of year when biological activities are reduced to a minimum due to a reduced food supply. Here, based upon a multidisciplinary ecosystem-scale study from the polar night at 79°N, we present an entirely different view. Instead of an ecosystem that has entered a resting state, we document a system with high activity levels and biological interactions across most trophic levels. In some habitats, biological diversity and presence of juvenile stages were elevated in winter months compared to the more productive and sunlit periods. Ultimately, our results suggest a different perspective regarding ecosystem function that will be of importance for future environmental management and decision making, especially at a time when Arctic regions are experiencing accelerated environmental change. LabexMER Marine Excellence Research: a changing ocean Effet des changements climatiques sur le benthos en Arctique DEVelopment Of innovative Tools for understanding marine biodiversity and assessing good Environmental Status